I. Field
The invention relates generally to communications systems, and more particularly to providing uplink rate option information in a wireless communication environment.
II. Background
Wireless networking systems have become a prevalent means to communicate with others worldwide. Wireless communication devices, such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, and the like have become smaller and more powerful in order to meet consumer needs and to improve portability and convenience. Consumers have become dependent upon these devices, demanding reliable service, expanded areas of coverage, additional services (e.g., web browsing capabilities), and continued reduction in size and cost of such devices.
A typical wireless communication network (e.g., employing frequency, time, and code division techniques) includes one or more base stations that provides coverage areas to subscribers as well as mobile (e.g., wireless) devices that can transmit and receive data within the coverage areas. A typical base station can simultaneously transmit multiple data streams to multiple devices for broadcast, multicast, and/or unicast services, wherein a data stream is a stream of data that can be of independent reception interest to a user device. A user device within the coverage area of that base station can be interested in receiving one, more than one or all the data streams carried by the composite stream. Likewise, a user device can transmit data to the base station or another user device.
A segment is a transmission unit in the uplink traffic channel. One uplink traffic channel segment is to transport a certain number of information bits with certain channel coding and modulation schemes. In conventional wireless terminals, an uplink traffic channel segment having uplink traffic channel data may be transmitted at one of a plurality of data rate options. Each rate option corresponds to a number of information bits being conveyed, a coding rate, and a modulation scheme. Different segments may use different rate options. When multiple data rate options are available, a conventional wireless terminal needs to be able to indicate a data rate option being employed in a transmission to a base station. An unmet need exists in the art for systems and/or methodologies that facilitate providing such information to overcome the aforementioned deficiencies.